Private equity firm Altor from Sweden is about to take over the ICT-supplier Infotheek International from Leiden. This appears form a report both companies made at the Autoriteit Consument & Markt.
Infotheek didn’t want to give any comments on the sale of the company, of which it has informed the competition authority.
Infotheek is going through a rapid growth the past years. The supplier of ICT-equipment broke through the revenue milestone of €300 million in 2015, partly because of the acquisition of the web shop 4Launch. The numbers about profit of 2015 are not disclosed. Infotheek established a net profit of €10 million in 2014 on a revenue of €223 million.
Used
The company from Leiden employs about five hundred people. Infotheek has offices in the Netherlands, Spain, Belgium, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Italy, Bulgaria, Poland, Lithuania and the United Kingdom. At the announcement of the revenue numbers, CEO Jordy Kool stated Infotheek wants to realise a revenue of €400 million in 2018.
Infotheek delivers besides new also used hardware and software. Furthermore they also supply diverse ICT-services. 40% of the revenue is derived from the sale of used products. The firm started the company Flex IT Rent in 2014, as part of the lessor Infotheek Rent.
Tough negotiations
The ICT-supplier has had a few turbulent years at the beginning. Infotheek was founded in 1981 by Wim van Leenen, which brought the company that same decennium to the stock market. At the beginning of the nineties Infotheek ended up in a bankruptcy, after which Van Leenen relaunched the company.
The company is now under the lead of former marine Jordy Kool. With his arrival he became co-shareholder, for which he have been in tough negotiations with the family Van Leenen. According to the most recent available information of the Chamber of Commerce, do the father Wim and his son Duco van Leenen poses a majority stake. Furthermore, a group of manager is part of the company through certificates of shares.
Altor is a private-equity firm which invested €5,8 billion through four fund in mostly Nordic companies. The Netherlands is not unfamiliar terrain for the investor. Altor was owner of a manufacturer of chicken slaughter lines Meyn from Oostzaan until 2012.
Source: FD
